My Kawasaki ZRX1200R

You riders will appreciate this story...

Summer of 88, and I have a brand new 900 Ninja. It's 8 days old and has 800 miles on the odometer, and I'm still breaking in the motor. So I'm on a back country, 2-lane highway, with nice winding curves, running between 4 & 6K on the tach to continue breaking in the engine, which is between 80 and 100 mph, as I recall. So I'm rolling it back down to 4000 rpm's, watching the tach, and as I look up, I hit something.

I saw the briefest brown blur, so at first I thought I hit a dog, but then thought, because it was nearing dusk, shit! I just hit a fucking DEER!

My face shield is busted, but I'm still riding, and other than this green and red on my jacket, I figure I'm ok. So I pull over, only to find I had cut the deer IN HALF, and his rear half had hooked onto the front brake manifold, and I was dragging it with me until I stopped on the shoulder. A young couple in a muscle car that I had passed pulls up, and helps me pull this freaking deer off my bike.

Rode on to my destination, and had a helluva story at the party I was going to that night! Turns out the insurance company wouldn't total the bike, even though the forks were bent and the body work was trashed, so I ended up taking the money and fixing it myself, since they wouldn't pay for new forks! The shop said they could straighten them; I wanted new ones.

So I get all new parts and get the bike back on the road and all is fine, except for a tiny chip I had broken off my right thumb knuckle.

I've hit 4 deer in all- 1 on that bike, and 3 in 2 different trucks I've owned. They are one stupid animal!!
 
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Those old ZRX bikes are a blast. My last sport bike was a CBR1000 (Honda Hurricane) - loved that bike.

I got old and went over to Harley's. I have 3 of them (one apart in the basement). Love working on bikes.
Recently started powder coating at home to refinish the engine parts.

Yes, it will plaster the hair back right quick. I'm 52 and my squid days are far behind me, so I just cruise around on it – mostly. I also have a Dyna which is more my speed these days!
 
Sold two of my three bikes last year. Selling the last one this year. Too many distracted drivers out there now.

That's me. I REFUSE to put my life in other people's hands the way it is required now to ride
a motorcycle on the open road. I have friend's who still ride and it seems every year they have
a close call they tell me about.

Not the way I want to go out. "I didn't even see him!"
 
I've hit 4 deer in all- 1 on that bike, and 3 in 2 different trucks I've owned. They are one stupid animal!!

Dude! You're lucky. .... and probably a little crazy!! ;)

My friend hit a Deer on the Interstate last Summer going to work in the morning. Lucky to be alive.
Another guy was killed when he hit an Elk about 6 miles from our house. His Buddy was riding behind
him and saw the whole thing happen.
 
That's me. I REFUSE to put my life in other people's hands the way it is required now to ride
a motorcycle on the open road. I have friend's who still ride and it seems every year they have
a close call they tell me about.

Not the way I want to go out. "I didn't even see him!"
You have to ride as if you're invisible. I've even blanked at oncoming motorcyclists. Well, once, and only for a split second. No close call.

I ride a little faster than the flow of traffic, never ride "in a hurry," use other cars as a blocker when entering intersections where there's left-turning cars, you learn to anticipate what other drivers are going to do, keep your left hand covering the front brake, never "lay down" a bike because you then loose all braking and maneuverability (that's old-school thinking before brakes improved!), stuff like that. Practice hard stops in a parking lot, using the front brake. A lot of riders are scared of the front brake, but that's where something like 80% of your braking force is, because of the weight transfer. Stay in a lower gear in tight situations, because on a bike, you also have the ability to use acceleration to get you out of a dangerous situation. Lots of things you can learn to really improve your odds of not ending up a statistic.

My wife used to say she felt the safest with me driving when on the motorcycle first, the truck 2nd, and the Lincoln LS last. ;)

Yeah, fortunately that deer wasn't full-grown, or it could've ended differently. I'm not as crazy as I used to be, that's for sure!
 
Yes, it will plaster the hair back right quick. I'm 52 and my squid days are far behind me, so I just cruise around on it – mostly. I also have a Dyna which is more my speed these days!
Dyna's are my weakness! Love them.
My first Harley (which my guitar player now owns) was a 2000 Super Glide...very customized, stretch tank, wide front end.

I moved on to a Road King, then Street Glide (because I'm 48 and love comfort).
But I also have a 2011 Wide Glide and my 'project bike' is a 2002 Wide Glide.
I have the 02 apart in the basement. Getting it prepped for new paint on the tins, and I'm powder coating all the engine trim with wrinkle black.
It will look more like a night train when it's done.

What year is your Dyna??
 
The 2011 Wide Glide, and my 2019 Street Glide....
 

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